Audio 101

Hannah Gilman

A few months ago, I decided it was about time I finally learned video production — a decision that was sparked partially because I had a genuine interest and it was exciting to learn something new, and partially because, well, I felt like I had to have that skill to keep up in today’s storytelling landscape.

I produced, shot and edited my own short, then signed up for an eight-week class at Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum to get educated. The class, “Film Fundamentals,” hits the high-level basics of production — camera operation, lighting, audio recording and editing. (And I highly recommend it if you, too, want a crash course.)

As a writer with UMAC, having an understanding of audio recording in particular is especially important. We produce a lot of videos in-house, and knowing how to record high quality audio recordings and interview for a voiceover is important.

And now, as the team in UMAC pushes toward a more immersive storytelling experience, we’re experimenting with NPR-style audio bits, too. No visuals, just sounds. So I took what I learned in three hours at the NWFF and shared it with our Word Nerd crew. Here are some highlights:

Audio science

Sound waves are measured in frequency (Hz)

Amplitude (or loudness) is measured in decibels (dB)

Microphone basics

At UMAC, we often use a shotgun mic to record audio narratives

There are three types of mics — a shotgun mic is a condenser mic

Different mics have different pickup patterns

A shotgun mic records sounds like a zoom lens works on a camera — very focused, and great for cutting out background noise

Recording audio

Make sure your recorder is set to professional standards

Sample rate = 48 kHz (the number of samples obtained in one second)

Bit depth = 24 bit (the amount of information per sample, similar to image resolution)

When recording, be sure the dB levels stay between -12 and -6 while the gain is around 5 or lower

Helpful tips

Do your interview in a quiet room — keep an ear out for the hum of an air conditioner or fridge, and other loud distractions

Record room tone, special sounds (like birds chirping, or a pen clicking) and the interview separately, then mix during editing

When conducting the interview, be sure your subject responds concisely and puts the answer in context

Always monitor levels throughout the interview, and adjust accordingly

For more info, check out the slides. Then, do some research and practice on your own — there’s so much to learn!